The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) issued recent guidance on disclosure of material information related to climate change. “It makes good sense to us,” writes the New York Times. Disclosure will help “investors and managers to better understand the risks — and the opportunities — out there for publicly traded businesses.”

Senior U.S. officials should display “flexibility and patience” during security talks in Japan. The newspaper notes the “alliance is more important than the basing agreement.” A compromise should be developed because “a strong and equal partnership” is best for both countries.

General Motors has named Ed Whitacre Chairman and CEO. The Financial Times says the U.S. government, GM’s majority shareowner, should “require the leadership roles be split.” In the UK, this is best practice. In the U.S., it is slowly becoming best practice.

India has already sped down the information superhighway. Now it wants to drive economic growth with real highways. Kamal Nath, India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways, writes that $50 billion of road contracts will be assigned within 18 months. Construction has tripled to 9 kilometers of new roads per day since last May. By next April, the aim is 20 km a day.

President Obama’s call to limit the size and activities of banks provides “a rational starting point” for serious financial regulatory reform. The proposal will “separate the casino of Wall Street from the banking system on which everyone relies.”

President Obama’s banking proposal is “misguided,” “misleading,” and it won’t “stop banks from putting insured deposits at risk.” Banks will find new ways to lose money. Moreover, the shadow banking system, responsible for much of the current crisis, goes largely unreformed. The newspaper even writes the proposal could “make the system less, not more stable.”

Obama’s war with Wall Street may be good for London. The Times calls the U.S. President’s position a “short-term populist response with little economic logic.” The likely result: banking business will be driven to other areas. The Times hopes this banking business finds its way to the City.

In scope and scale, the catastrophe in Haiti resembles the tsunami which struck Indonesia five years ago. The after effects will, however, be much longer. A “basket case” for years, Haiti is less prepared for recovery. The Post calls on the U.S. and other international donor nations to commit long-term support.

The headlines says it all: “Obama is right to clobber Wall Street.” The FT supports hitting banks and financial firms with fees to recover the cost of the bailout. The newspaper does, however, caution that reform must also be carried out to insure that banks can fail safely in the future.

Google quit complying with the Chinese government. Google’s search results are no longer censored. For the first time in China, results are provided for “Tiananmen Square massacre” and other previously off-limit topics. The Chinese government may force Google to withdraw from the market. The New York Time’s praises Google’s “bold stand,” but adds if “Google pulls out of China, the biggest losers would be the Chinese people.” The Wall Street Journal, The Times (London) and the Financial Times also applauded Google’s decision.